The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of more than 18,000 experts. This diversity and vast expertise makes IUCN the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. IUCN seeks ‘a just world that values and conserves nature’ as its vision.
The IUCN National Committee for the United Kingdom (NCUK) supports an active, informed and expanding IUCN Member base, contributing to improved biodiversity outcomes for the UK’s land and sea, including its Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies and elsewhere. By encouraging co-operation among all IUCN Members, we facilitate their contribution to the programme and governance of IUCN and the sharing of knowledge, experience, policy and practice in the IUCN community.
IUCN National Committee UK Annual General Meeting
This is an important meeting for IUCN Members in the UK and Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, for several reasons. Firstly, we are pleased to welcome Boris Erg, IUCN Regional Director for Europe, to give us his perspectives on the way forward for our part of the planet. Secondly, Boris’s presentation will be timely as it will be a few months before the IUCN Regional Conservation Forum (RCF) in Bruges, Belgium, from 30th September to 3rd October this year. This RCF will be another great networking and learning opportunity for us all to get together as the IUCN family in a fabulous World Heritage City, reachable for most of us by train. We are hoping for a sizeable delegation of UK interests to attend and share what we are doing for nature conservation. Thirdly, we need to have a discussion with Members regarding the legal status of the National Committee and present an alternative identity to our current position as an ‘unincorporated association’. This comes at a time when NCUK has opportunities to grow in its capacity, to accept contracts and provide secure employment which it has difficulty in doing at this time. Legal advice is currently being sought and Members will be able to hear the latest information available. Members will also be able to hear from some of our expert working group Chairs on their latest activity and get an overview of what we have all achieved this last year as an IUCN National Committee and what might be coming next. So if you are able to join at 10am on the 10th April you would be very welcome at this Teams meeting link. We look forward to seeing you there. Stephen Grady, Chair, and Chris Mahon, Chief Executive IUCN National Committee UK
New technical report published
The Protected Areas Working Group (PAWG), an expert working group for the IUCN National Committee UK (NCUK), has published a new technical report entitled ‘Statements of Compliance for UK protected areas and ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’: 2023 review’.
This new review updates the NCUK publication ‘Putting Nature on the Map’, with the current Statements of Compliance replacing those published in 2014, and uses the best publicly available data that PAWG members could find.
It reflects changes since the original assessments were published in 2014 and the rationale for any changes in our assessments, in part driven by new guidance coming from the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas.
photo credit: Pamela Abbott
The role of PAWG is to provide independent strategic analysis and advice in support of the UK Government’s aspiration to protect 30% of the UK’s land and 30% of its seas by 2030, thus demonstrating international leadership in this area of conservation policy and practice. PAWG aims to support the UK Government and the devolved administrations in their application of the IUCN definitions and guidance on protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures. PAWG’s Statements of Compliance provide guidance to the UK Government and its agencies, and the devolved administrations, on which types of site should be incorporated within the 30% totals in order to conform with international standards.
It is the intention of the PAWG to revisit these assessments on a periodic basis, and we invite comments and the submission of data to inform subsequent revisions. We would welcome any data or evidence from you that would help us to refine our analyses. Please contact us through IUCNUK.PAWG@wwt.org.uk and view the PAWG page on this website
Discover Unlimited Beauty
IUCN NCUK Species Survival Working Group (SSWG) supports WCL statement on species reintroduction
UK NGO Members concern expressed at the announcement that the “reintroduction of species is not a priority for the Government”, in response to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee report on species reintroduction (see letters HERE)
Discover Unlimited Beauty
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Recent government policy responses
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